Louisville 'Still Waiting' on Signee Ty-Laur Johnson

The guard is the lone 2023 newcomer that has yet to officially move to campus and enroll with the Cardinals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In an attempt to reverse fortunes from their abysmal 4-28 campaign last season, the Louisville men's basketball program is bringing in several talented newcomers for their upcoming 2023-24 season. However, with the season just over three months away, one of these newcomers has yet to join them.

The Cardinals officially moved in their newcomers back in June, but for unknown reasons, Bronx (N.Y.) Our Savior Lutheran guard Ty-Laur Johnson was not one of them. While he has still not made it to campus, there is still some hope from the program that he will make it.

During his press conference Friday, head coach Kenny Payne was asked about the status of Johnson. While he said he "felt good" that Johnson would eventually get to join his new teammates, it's still a waiting game with no clear timeline.

"We're still waiting on the process to get finished," he said. "Feel good about it, but we'll see when it's done."

Payne declined to specify what exactly the process is, but it is believed to be academic-related. A former Memphis commit, Johnson signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Louisville back on May 26. However, per the University of Louisville's student database, he has yet to officially enroll with the school.

Potentially losing a playmaker like Johnson would be a big blow to Louisville's roster. The 6-foot-0, 160-pound point guard is a consensus four-star prospect by the four major recruiting services, and ranks as high as the No. 64 overall prospect in the class according to Rivals.

On top of that, Johnson's addition filled a massive need for Louisville. The only other true scholarship point guard currently on the Cardinals' roster is Illinois transfer Skyy Clark. Among other factors, a lack of quality guard depth played a significant role in Louisville going just 4-28 in head coach Kenny Payne's first year at the helm last season. 

The 2023-24 roster will look radically different from that of last season's. Seven players entered the transfer portal, with only Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor being the scholarship returners for year two under Payne. Hercy Miller is also back, but has been reverted to a walk-on.

Payne and his staff are welcoming transfers Skyy Clark, Tre White and Danilo Jovanovich; 2023 prospects Dennis Evans, Trentyn Flowers, Kaleb Glenn, Curtis Williams Jr. and Johnson; plus JUCO transfer Koron Davis. According to 247Sports, their high school recruiting class comes in at No. 5 nationally, while their transfer class is 27th.

(Photo of Ty-Laur Johnson via On3)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter